Whale Rescue Squad Assembles to Untangle West Coast Nets
Published Date: 11/3/2025
Notice
Summary
NOAA is setting up a new team to help stop humpback whales from getting hurt or killed by fishing gear off the West Coast. This team will work on a plan to cut whale injuries to almost zero within five years, focusing on the WA, OR, and CA sablefish pot fishery. The first virtual meeting kicks off November 20, 2025, and they’ll schedule more meetings soon after, aiming to protect whales without hurting fishing jobs.
Analyzed Economic Effects
2 provisions identified: 1 benefits, 0 costs, 1 mixed.
TRT formed to cut whale injuries to near‑zero
NOAA has formed a West Coast Take Reduction Team (TRT) to develop a Take Reduction Plan that will reduce incidental mortality and serious injury of two humpback whale stocks (CAM and MM) in the WA/OR/CA sablefish pot fishery to levels approaching zero within five years after the plan is implemented. The first virtual meeting is scheduled for November 20, 2025 from 2:00–5:00 p.m. PST, and the TRT must submit a draft plan within 6 months of the Team's establishment.
Some West Coast pot fisheries not covered now
NMFS limited the TRT scope to the WA/OR/CA sablefish pot fishery and is not including several other West Coast fisheries at this time, including the California and Oregon Dungeness crab pot fisheries. For example, the CA Dungeness crab pot fishery has mean annual M/SI of CAM humpback whales of 2.01 animals/year (57% of that stock's PBR) and MM humpback whales of 2.74 animals/year (6% of that stock's PBR). NMFS says those fisheries will be reconsidered once bycatch estimation methods for unobserved state-managed fisheries are available.
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